The Sun Trail/Chapter 5
Chapter description :During the blizzard in the mountains, Dewy Leaf and Twisted Branch remark that the Tribe cats will be unable to hunt for the day until the blizzard stops. Quiet Rain insists that Gray Wing can't leave during the blizzard and he attempts to protest. She interrupts him, asking if he thought she wanted all of her kits to freeze to death. Stoneteller agrees and tells Gray Wing that Jagged Peak would find shelter until Gray Wing could go after him. Gray Wing impatiently waits in the cave for the storm to be over. :Eventually the blizzard stops as the sun sets, and Hollow Tree and Sharp Hail go out hunting. Gray Wing realizes it was too late for him to go searching for Jagged Peak. The rest of the Tribe fear for Jagged Peak's safety, and Gray Wing hopes he had found shelter. He spots Quiet Rain near the cave entrance, her eyes full of pain. Gray Wing joins her and tells her it wasn't fair she was going to lose all of her kits. She replies that she still had Fluttering Bird underneath her pelt of stones. Hollow Tree and Sharp Hail return from their hunting trip carrying a scrawny bird. They insist that Gray Wing eat it, but he declines, saying that no cat in the Tribe had eaten that day. Stoneteller tells him to eat it, as he needed strength to go after Jagged Peak the next morning. Gray Wing thanks them and gulps down the bird. :Gray Wing goes to sleep for the night, and awakens to Stoneteller walking past him. He joins her. She confides that she wasn't sure if she did the right thing sending the cats away. Gray Wing comforts her, saying that no one knew the future. She thanks him and Gray Wing decides to leave to find Jagged Peak. The rest of the Tribe wake up and say goodbye to Gray Wing. Lion's Roar advises him to be careful, and Stone Song comments that he was a brave cat, while Hollow Tree says a farewell. Dewy Leaf asks him if he can see if Moon Shadow is happy in his new home, but declines when he offers to take her with him. Misty Water reminds him to stick to the route she showed him, and he thanks her. :Quiet Rain offers to accompany him for a little bit, and he says goodbye to the others before heading out. They follow Jagged Peak's scent, and Gray Wing says farewell to his sister, saying he would never forget her. They continue after his scent until the path breaks off to thin ice. Quiet Rain tells him it will only take one cat across, and that her journey ended there. Gray Wing promises to find his brother and races across. The ice cracks after he crosses, releasing mist and icy water. He yowls over the roar to his mother, telling her he was alive. :Gray Wing continues along the trail, but loses his brother's scent. At around sunhigh, he finds a split rock, and shelters under it, to discover the others had sheltered under it as well. Jagged Peak's scent was not among theirs'. With new determination, Gray Wing continues to look for his brother. Plunging down a slope, he slips and scrapes his pad. Now down in the valley, Gray Wing searches for Jagged Peak, but only finds the body of an old snow hare. He looks down disgustedly, but eats it anyway, as it was the only food he could find. He then heads up the valley, and becomes frustrated quickly. Eventually, he finds the biggest boulder he could see and jumps atop it. :Turning towards the direction the traveling cats would have taken, he spots an eagle flinging itself towards prey in the rocks. Suddenly, Gray Wing hears a faint yowl from the rocks, and his heart plunges. It's Jagged Peak. Leaping from the boulder, he calls to his little brother to hold on. He lunges towards the eagle, attempting to distract it. Slipping on his injured paw, Gray Wing is thrown off balance and the eagle grabs him. As it tries to fly away, Jagged Peak races out from the crack he had been hiding in and launches himself at the eagle. The bird, struggling under the weight, tries to grab Jagged Peak and Gray Wing scratches its belly. :It releases him and Jagged Peak drops from the eagle's wing. Shoving the two of them into the crack, Gray Wing narrowly misses being caught by the eagle again. Licking Jagged Peak's fur, he comforts the younger cat, assuring him he would be safe. Characters Major }} Minor *Twisted Branch *Quiet Rain *Stoneteller *Sharp Hail *Hollow Tree *Lion's Roar *Stone Song *Misty Water *Jagged Peak }} Mentioned *Moon Shadow *Fluttering Bird *Clear Sky }} Important events Other :Gray Wing leaves the Tribe and follows Jagged Peak's scent towards the new territory. He finds Jagged Peak. Notes and references de:Der Sonnenpfad/Kapitel 5 Category:The Sun Trail Category:Dawn of the Clans arc Category:Chapter subpages